Notre Dame football: Marcus Freeman's key decisions in the Fiesta Bowl

Notre Dame football: Breaking down Marcus Freeman’s key decisions in the Fiesta Bowl

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish takes the field with his team for the start of the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on January 01, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – JANUARY 01: Head coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on before the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at State Farm Stadium on January 01, 2022, in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football: Breaking down Marcus Freeman’s key decisions in the Fiesta Bowl

3rd Quarter

Punt

3rd quarter, 4th and 4, 5:16 remaining
Notre Dame 28 Oklahoma State 21

Notre Dame football came out slowly in the third quarter, while the Cowboys were on fire. It helped flip momentum. Still, the Irish put together a decent drive, before it stalled out on the 50-yard line. It was 4th and 4 yards to go, and Marcus Freeman quickly sent out the punt team.

The punt, itself, was effective. Jay Bramblett downed it at the 10-yard line to flip the field. So, by that metric, everyone did their job. Still, it was a situation where you would have liked to see Freeman get aggressive and go for it. Notre Dame needed a score to extend the lead and instead gave up possession. It was a conservative choice, again, by Freeman.

In a minute, Oklahoma State was back to midfield, though. In another minute, Oklahoma State tied the game. So, this was a decision that didn’t work out for Freeman. He should’ve gone for it to try and take back momentum.

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